Ching Mei Chih Ying Temple Introduction
Jiaying Temple, located in Jingmei Old Street, was originally built in the bamboo enclosure of Jingwei to honor the deities of protection for the people from Anxi County, Quanzhou, Fujian Province—Zhang Xun, the Baoyi Zunwang, and Xu Yuan, the Baoyi Dafu. Due to unfavorable feng shui, the temple was relocated to Xiaojie on Jingwei Street in 1867 (the 6th year of the Tongzhi era), where it stands today. Four hundred years ago, Anxi people immigrated to Taipei, most of whom were tea farmers, so they chose the humid hill of Wenshan to cultivate tea, bringing with them their local deities, including Baoyi Zunwang, Baoyi Dafu, and Qingshui Zushi. At that time, the Anxi immigrants primarily belonged to the three major surnames: Gao, Zhang, and Lin. As time went by, the population gradually increased, and the cultivated land expanded from Jingmei to Muzha, Shenkeng, and Shiding. Naturally, the number of people worshiping the local deities from Anxi also grew, prompting the expansion of Jiaying Temple into three locations, with the Gao Clan Jiaying Temple in Jingmei Market being one of them. This temple has a historical significance in Jingmei Old Street and is listed as a third-level historic site. Its exterior and interior are quite solemn, adorned with numerous wall decorations and exquisite stone carvings. Additionally, the corridors exhibit a rich wooden aesthetic, and the wooden windows and structures exude an ancient atmosphere, blending harmoniously with the old street of Jingmei.
